Why?
by chibiwriter
Summary: Oneshot. Marah's got some questions for the Rangers. Set after Thunderstorm.


**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Disney/Haim Saban**

Dustin had just dismissed his class and was wandering through the woods, making his way back to the Ninja academy when he came across Marah. She was sitting on a fallen log, just staring into space. For a moment, he paused, wondering if he should talk to her or if she just wanted to be left alone.

Then she turned her head, as if sensing his presence, and smiled at him. "Hey Sensei Dustin."

"Hey Marah," he moved into the clearing. "What were you doing?"

"I was just thinking." She moved over on the log to make room for him and he, taking the invitation for what it was, sat down beside her.

"About what?"

She shrugged. "Stuff. You know…Lothor coming back and everything made me start thinking….the Dino rangers didn't really have a choice, did they?"

Taken by surprise by her question, it took Dustin a while to answer. "Choice? What do you mean?"

"I mean, their powers…the Dine gems bonded to them right?" Dustin nodded and she continued; "so they didn't really have a choice. They kinda _had_ to become rangers."

"I guess," Dustin replied cautiously, wondering where the normally bubbly, ditzy space Ninja was going.

She turned her head to look at him. "But you guys had a choice. You could have walked away. So…why didn't you?"

"Why didn't we…walk away?" When she nodded, he paused, floundering for an answer. "I dunno." He finally admitted. "It wouldn't have been…right, I guess."

"Right." She sighed and pulled up her legs, placing her feet on the log and putting her arms around her knees. "That's something that's been bugging me as well. Right and wrong. I was raised to be evil, Dustin. It's all I've ever known. But now look at me; I'm on the side of good. I'm _friends_ with good," she added, looking at him. "And I just keep thinking; _how?_ How did I end up like this?"

He turned then, hiking his leg up so he straddled the log. "You don't regret it, do you?"

"Regret what?"

"Being good?"

"No." She smiled and shook her head. "I like being good. It feels…nice."

"What feels nice?"

At the sound of Tori's voice, the couple turned to watch the water sensei enter the clearing, followed by Shane. The latter looked slightly sheepish, and Dustin narrowed his eyes. "Dude! Were you spying on us?"

"I wasn't…I can't say the same thing for Shane though." With a wicked smile, Tori hiked herself up onto the log. "So…what feels nice?"

"Being good," Marah replied, not looking the least bit put off by them joining the conversation. "But I just don't get it. I was raised to be evil."

"Maybe you weren't cut out for being evil," Tori replied. "I mean, you're naturally good natured Marah. You just didn't have it in you to be evil."

"Yeah." Shane agreed. "We were all brought out, taught to be good, and, for the most part, we are. But sometimes, we do bad things…like eavesdrop on our friends," he added with an apologetic smile in Dustin's directions. "But, all in all, we're good."

"Is that why you became rangers?" She asked. "Because you're good?"

"Uh…I guess," Tori said, looking a bit surprised by the sudden change of subject.

"Hi guys."

At the familiar voice, the four wind ninjas turned to see one samurai and two thunder ninjas approaching. Cam was the one who'd spoken; "The guys came over to visit."

"I wanted to say goodbye before I leave tomorrow," Blake added.

"Oh yeah. Your motocross tour," Dustin said. "I was gonna come over to say 'bye."

"Good thing we saved you a trip, eh?" Hunter grinned. "What're you guys doing here?"

"Having a philosophical discussion, so it seems," Shane added dryly.

"A philosophical discussion?" Hunter repeated. "With Dustin?"

"Hey!" The earth ninja frowned at the not-so-subtle insult.

"It's me actually," Marah said, more to deflect the laughter off Dustin than to take credit. "I was just wondering…"

"About what?" Cam moved closer to his cousin.

"Why you became rangers." She turned her head to look at all of them at the same time.

Hunter and Blake immediately looked baffled by the question. "Why we became rangers?" Hunter repeated, looking at his brother. "Well…we didn't have a choice, really. Did we?"

"No." Blake shook his head. "Sensei Omino kind of made it out like we had to take them. Besides, the whole idea of being Power Rangers. It was pretty cool."

"Yeah," Hunter agreed, and gave them his trademark lopsided grin. "What 'bout you guys?"

"Well, we were the only ones left after…everything." Tori looked at the other two former Wind Rangers. "And when Sensei gave us the morphers…"

"It blew my mind," Dustin admitted. "I mean, being Power Rangers and all. It was the stuff I read in my comics and stuff. I guess the whole idea of being a superhero clinched it for me."

"What about you cousin?" Marah looked at Cam. "Why did you go back to get the Samurai amulet?"

"We needed it." He said frankly, then paused to think more about it. "I guess," he continued in a slow voice. "I wanted to prove to my father that I could be as good as these guys," he waved a hand to indicate the other former rangers. "It was partly 'cause I wanted to help, and partly because of pride, I suppose."

"And you had to," Shane added. "If you hadn't, well, we wouldn't be standing here, discussing it."

"Just like if you guys hadn't taken the Wind Ranger morphers." Hunter added.

"And if you hadn't become the Thunder Rangers," Tori pointed out. "I guess we kind of had to, because if we hadn't…things would be totally different."

"Yeah," Marah agreed. "Uncle – I mean, Lothor – would be ruling the world and Kapri and me would still be evil."

"And all good would be gone – or most of it," Blake added. "And if me and Hunter had walked away from a chance to change it all…I don't think I could have lived with myself."

"Yeah." Hunter nodded. "Me too."

The other all made the same sounds of agreement. "So, I'm thinking the conclusion to this discussion is…" Cam trailed off, looking at the others.

"We became Rangers," Tori said. "Partly because we're good."

"And partly because we had to," Blake finished, putting his arm around her.

Dustin took Marah's hand and, as one, they looked up at the sky, knowing that beyond that floated the remains of Lothor's ship – a silent testament of just what they had achieved by being Power Rangers.


End file.
